Trial Technique p.10, July 1986
Medical Research
In "On-Line Medical Research" [January 1986, pp. 37-38], Jerry R. Palmer provides tips for trial lawyers on doing medical research. It is ironic, however, that he did not mention the Science Citation Index (SCI), a database lawyers find easy to use, since it was originally inspired by Shepard's Citations.
SCI is available in print in every medical school library, and is also available on-line. It covers more than 30 years of literature.
Also available is the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), which covers articles from every leading law review.
The latest opinion on any medical, scientific, technical, or patent publication cited in expert testimony can be checked in SCISEARCH, which can determine if a decision in an older case has been upheld.
Also, SCI can check the bona fides of expert witnesses. Trial lawyers can learn not only what the expert has published, but also what other experts have said about their publications.
For a free copy of How to Use the SCI, write to the
Institute for Scientific Information (ISI),
3501 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
or call (215) 386-0100Eugene Garfield
President
Institute for Scientific Information Philadelphia, Pennsylvania